Page 46 of Murder in Shades of Fire and Ash

Mrs Pettifor interrupted. “Let me see. It won’t be my Joshey.”

Oh, God.Charlie thought of the remains of whoever had been in the van.

“That won’t be possible, Mrs Pettifor. As I said, the person is unrecognisable. They were very badly burned in the fire.”

“I’dknow,” she said.

No, you wouldn’t.

“The doctor who carried out the post mortem examination has given me a set of dental X-rays. Can you tell me who your son’s dentist is? If he had been to the dentist recently …”

This time it was Mr Pettifor who interrupted. “That would be Gareth Rhidian. He’s a friend. I’ll call him.” Pettifor got out his phone. “Gareth. We’ve got a detective here who says Joshua … may be dead.” Pause. “He’s got some X-rays. He wants to know if they are Josh’s.”

Charlie couldn’t hear what the other person said. Pettifor was holding the phone too tightly.

“It isn’t him,” Mrs Pettifor said. She was shaking, and her teeth began to chatter. “It isn’t him.”

Pettifor’s call ended. “He says to meet him at the surgery with your X-rays. It’s the one on Dynefor Street. He’s going there now.”

Charlie stood up.

“Gareth is Joshua’s godfather,” Pettifor said.

Dynefor Street was only a few minutes’drive. Charlie parked outside, gathered his crutches and knocked at the surgery door. It was opened by a tall, handsome man in casual clothes. Charlie showed him his ID.

“Dr Rhidian,” Charlie said. “Thank you for doing this.”

“Who took the X-Rays?” Rhidian asked, holding out his hand for the envelope.

“Hector Powell, the pathologist,” Charlie told him and got ahumphin return.

Rhidian turned on a computer on the reception desk, and once it had booted up, rattled the keys, as he shook the X-Ray films out of the envelope. He held up Hector’s X-Rays and peered at the computer screen. Then he said “Shit,” and put his head in his hands on the desk.

“It’s a match?” Charlie asked, knowing the answer.

Rhidian lifted his head, and Charlie saw tears in his eyes. “He was a lovely boy,” he said. “This is going to kill them.”

“I’ll need to take a formal statement from you, Dr Rhidian,” Charlie said. “But there’s no hurry. I’ll go back to Mr and Mrs Pettifor now.” He couldn’t help wondering whetherhe was a lovely boyperhaps implied that Josh hadn’t been a lovely man.

“I’ll go,” Rhidian said. “Let me tell them. They’re my best friends.”

It was Charlie’s job to go, and he was about to say so when his phone rang:Alun Evans MP.

Charlie apologised and allowed Rhidian to escort him from the building.

“Mr Evans,” Charlie said, watching as Rhidian got into a BMW 4x4 and drove off. “What can I do for you?” His heart sank at the thought of another press conference, or more questions from the MP, none of which he could answer. He gritted his teeth against the pain in his leg.

When Evans spoke, it was in a whisper. “There’s a man in my house. He’s got a knife, and he says he’s going to kill my family.”

“Ring 999,” Charlie said. “Do it now.”

“No, wait, he says no police …”

Charlie wanted to say hewasthe police, but he heard the fear in Evans’ voice. “Are you somewhere safe?” he asked.

“Downstairs toilet,” came the whispered reply. “I think he’s mad. My wife will be back with the children soon. He’s waiting for them. She’s not answering her phone. I didn’t know who else to call.” There was a barely concealed sob in Evans’ voice.

Charlie opened his mouth to ask for the address when there was a crashing noise, and a scream.

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